The Global Language Monitor, which tracks language trends, has once again compiled and released its yearly list of the most popular words and phrases within the English language. In 2008, the #1 most popular word was "change" (referring to the mantra of the top name of 2008, Barack Obama). However, Obama has been supplanted this year by the 140 character sensation that is Twitter.

GLM's list of top words and phrases for 2009 isn't surprising, once you factor out words like "the" out of the equation. Twitter's constant media attention and mainstream ascent has vaulted it into the English lexicon, so much so that it beat out the words Obama (#2), H1N1 (#3), Stimulus (#4), and Vampire (#5). The top phrase of 2009 however was "King of Pop," referring to the late Michael Jackson. This mirrors Bing's top 10 searched topics. However, Barack Obama was once again the top name of 2009, just beating out Michael Jackson.

With Twitter declared English's most popular word and unfriend taking the title of Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year, what else does social media have to conquer? Please tell us in the comments, because we're stumped.

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